Congratulations! You have been hired as Human Resources Director of the state police department! One of your first critical tasks and part of the planning function is to hire a Minority Recruitment Director. Lucky for you, you studied this exact thing when you were in college, so you are up for the challenge!
When hiring, it helps to have a well-written job description to guide your hiring decision. Basically, you compare what the candidates have to offer to the description then choose the best match. This approach to hiring began with the move from the Political Patronage or “spoils system” to the more effective and efficient Civil Service or “merit system.” This results not only in hiring more qualified employees but also in making your decision legally defensible if a candidate ever challenges your decision. Hiring qualified employees is critical to the success of the organization and it all starts with the job description based on a thorough understanding of the needs of the organization.
Note that traditional job descriptions are often used in public workplaces and include a list of general responsibilities, duties, and qualifications. They are typically generic enough to use for several different positions and do not include measurable performance standards. Specific duties for the person being hired may vary. Overall, the traditional job description is not as helpful to applicants or managers in determining the best fit for the job so for this exercise, we will use a Performance-Oriented Job Description (POJD).
A POJD is much more comprehensive than traditional job descriptions and includes specific tasks (duties), working conditions (what makes the job easy or difficult), performance standards (measurable goals to meet), required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities), and minimum qualifications (education, experience, credentials). Take a look at the example in Chapter 5, Figure 5-2.
Instructions
In this assignment, you will prepare a POJD, make a hiring decision, and identify benefits to include in a compensation package.
- Review the Background section of the case study at the end of Chapter 5 entitled “Who’s Most Qualified to be the Minority Recruitment Director?” The Postscript to the case does not apply to or help with this assignment.
- Prepare a POJD for the position of Minority Recruitment Director using the details in the Background section of the case. Be sure to include all parts of a POJD: tasks, working conditions, performance standards, required competencies, and minimum qualifications. You will need to add some details to your POJD that are not found in the case.
- Review the resumes at the end of Chapter 5 for John Lewis, Harold Murphy and Norma Sikorsky (Figures 5-4, 5-5, and 5-6). Assume you interviewed these three candidates, conducted background checks, and all three would be potentially beneficial to the department in various ways. Compare their qualifications to the POJD you wrote. Based on your POJD, identify which person you would hire and write a brief paragraph to justify your decision, including how the chosen candidate is more qualified than the others. Remember, your justification is important for hiring an effective employee and for keeping you out of legal trouble!
- What non-mandatory benefits would you want the agency to begin incorporating into a compensation package to help attract and retain employees? Why would you recommend those specific benefits?
Include references in APA style for any outside materials and for quoted materials.
